


Was It Fate ?

by Bittodeath



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Asgard (Marvel), Captain America AU, Earth, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jötunheimr | Jotunheim, Light Angst, M/M, Quests, Strangers to Lovers, Superheroes, The Tesseract (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 08:23:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13142772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bittodeath/pseuds/Bittodeath
Summary: Marvel! AU in which Daichi is Captain America and Kuroo stands as Loki - and the Tesseract gets stolen. So they set on a quest to retrieve it, except... except there are some feelings to be dealt with before.





	Was It Fate ?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift for Huii, for our KuroDai Discord Secret Santa! I hope you'll like it, though I have to admit I kinda lost control over my story here...

Daichi slowly opened his eyes. His head was hurting like hell – like a really bad hungover, but he hadn’t been drunk for _months_ now. Since he’d taken the serum, in fact. He knew from experience he couldn’t get drunk, so he couldn’t get a hungover. So it was not a hungover, but it really felt like it. It couldn’t be a hungover, because he hadn’t been drinking either, as far as he remembered.

But what did he remember?

He remembered… He remembered the war. Yeah, the war. That was why he’d gone through the serum experience. He remembered… He remembered being about to crash the plane into icy water. For the greater good.

Obviously, he hadn’t hit anything – or maybe he was in heaven? Who knew. He had closed his eyes again, the light was too harsh, and his head hurt too much. Though, he distinctly remembered a white flash and a loud bang that had made his teeth rattle.

“I see you’ve woken up”, a voice said somewhere next to him. “Wait a second.”

Ice-cold fingers touched his nape, and then his forehead and temples, and he immediately felt better. He was thirsty, and hungry, but no longer feeling like someone was playing the bagpipe in his head and rolling the drums while the world revolved around him at an astounding speed. He blinked his eyes slowly, adjusting to the light.

“Here”, the voice said again, and the cold fingers helped him straighten up before bringing a bowl of cold water to his badly chapped lips. “How are you feeling?”  
“Weird”, he finally settled on saying, his voice merely a rasp.  
“I guess that would happen to anyone traveling through Yggdrasil thanks to the Tesseract”, the voice mused, putting down the bowl.

He blinked again, and finally saw the body to which the voice belonged. It was a young man, in his twenties, just like him. He had black, unruly hair and a pair of golden eyes that made him feel like he’d just stared into the sun. The man was smiling, softly, and mischievously.

“I am Kuroo, of Asgard. Your airship crashed into my gardens at dawn, Midgardian. The Tesseract was put to safety.”

Daichi blinked. Nothing Kuroo said made sense. Still, he was obviously waiting for an answer. A presentation of his own – which, actually, was perfectly sensible. He licked his lips, moistening them in a futile attempt to soften his hoarse voice, and said:

“I’m Daichi Sawamura.”  
“I know who you are, _Captain America_ ”, Kuroo answered. “I was rather wondering how you’d find yourself in Asgard, the shelter of gods. You almost flattened Bokuto, heir to the throne, blew up a part of the palace and ruined my gardens. I sincerely hope you have an explanation.”

Rather than angry, Kuroo sounded amused. And Daichi was utterly confused. Asgard? What was that? He was starting to hate novelties, feeling like he couldn’t keep up.

“I… don’t know”, he finally said, because that was the truth – he had no idea where he was or how he’d gotten there. Surely that shining blue cube was for something in this sorcery. “Look I’m still not convinced this is not some very weird dream, alright? So just do your… dream duty thing and enlighten me.”

Kuroo stared at him and chuckled as Daichi sat up, groaning at the ache in his whole body.

“Asgard is one of the nine realms. The world of the Aesir. You no longer are on… Earth? Is that how you call your realm?”

Daichi could feel Kuroo eyeing him as he talked and he glanced down, immediately feeling his cheeks heat up. The sheet he’d been lying under had slid off from his torso, which was now bare to Kuroo’s eyes. A quick glance confirmed that the man was clearly enjoying the view, and Daichi shivered. That was the kind of eyeing he had only gotten from women, back on Earth. The kind of eyeing that dripped with want.

“You must be hungry”, Kuroo mused. “You’ve been unconscious for three days since you crashed here.”

Daichi heard a door open and a servant appeared, bearing a tray of warm, good-smelling food. His stomach growled and soon, he was digging into it with a contented sigh. The rations he’d had until now, since the beginning of the war, had barely sated him for a few hours. To have this good, nourishing meal made him feel like maybe he was in heaven, after all.

When he looked up, Kuroo was gone. In his stead were cleanly folded clothes, of orange and black. He could see his star-spangled uniform on the back of a chair, but given how he’d been welcomed, he would probably not need it now. He didn’t know how to go back on Earth anyway. His shield was just next to it, and he was glad to see it was not chipped or broken in any way, safe for the paint. Slowly, carefully, he got out of the bed.

Finding the bathroom was easy enough. Figuring out how it all worked there was something else entirely. He finally managed to take a shower – cold -, feeling way better now that he had eaten and freshen up. He put on the clothes prepared for him, noticing how the colours flattered his eyes and skin tone, before heading out.

Kuroo was lounging on a sofa, looking at the city that extended far under his gaze, and Daichi’s jaw almost dropped. Everything was radiating beauty and luxury, something he hadn’t seen in months. The sun warmed him nicely and he breathed slowly. He felt at ease, in this peaceful environment. He felt like nothing bad could come to him.

“Come sit here”, Kuroo said, patting the sofa, his eyes dark with some kind of desire Daichi couldn’t identify.  
“This is… really beautiful”, he managed to say, sitting down next to him.

Kuroo huffed and put his legs in his lap, startling the soldier who didn’t dare to move. He could feel Kuroo’s shining eyes boring holes into him, and it made his heart beat faster. He wasn’t sure it wouldn’t stop if he only glanced at him.

“So”, he started, gulping, “you… you are a god?”

Kuroo kept on staring before nodding slowly, stretching a bit. He was wearing clothes a vibrant red, and the soft, flowy fabric parted to show more of his body. A slender figure, long but well-defined muscles. Built for stealth more than for war. And a crooked grin that seemed to know exactly what Daichi was thinking. Which was kind of embarrassing, as Daichi was currently marvelling over the flawless skin and perfect beauty of his saviour.

“Do I not look like one?” Kuroo practically purred, shifting closer.  
“I have no idea how a god is supposed to look like”, Daichi simply replied.

He was American after all, and he was pretty sure the god he’d been taught about didn’t look like this. Like lust on legs. He shook his head, chasing away the thought. Where did the idea even come from? There was… okay, there was a long leg in his lap and he was pretty sure he wasn’t immune to its charms, nor to its owner’s. That was pretty bad.

“Kuroo get off of here, you’re making the man uncomfortable”, a loud voice boomed, and Kuroo lazily shook off his legs from Daichi.

Daichi searched frantically for the person with such a vocal power and found himself staring to a man with striped hair and golden, owlish eyes. Said guy was holding an enormous hammer, but Daichi had seen enough weird things not to startle at that. The newcomer grabbed Kuroo and easily pulled him to the ground, staring at him with something akin to mirth in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Kuroo here is a bit… out of control”, he said with a laugh. “I’m Bokuto, by the way. God of Thunder.”

And Daichi clasped the outstretched hand, thinking that this day couldn’t be any weirder.

“Oh it can”, a voice whispered in his ear, a warm breath brushing his skin, and he jolted, almost knocking into Kuroo who snickered at his reaction.  
“Kuroo!” Bokuto scowled, but it had absolutely no effect on the man.

Daichi stared at them, and sighed. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon.

*

Days went by, slowly turning into weeks, that turned into months. Daichi had taken some time to adjust to living in Asgard as a guest, but he soon had settled into a routine. He would wake up at dawn to spar with Bokuto, take a shower and then eat his breakfast with the barely-out-of-bed Kuroo, who was mostly a silent but pleasant companion. Then he would go to the library to learn more about the Nine Worlds, or stroll through the gardens of Asgard with Kuroo who was very knowledgeable. Or he would sit alone either in the palace, in one of the buildings or elsewhere and just draw. It was a peaceful life, away from the war, from starvation and violence. He was finding himself quite contented, to be honest. Hunting parties with Bokuto’s retainers were a lot of fun, but also very dangerous for a mortal, even as enhanced as Daichi was. Mostly though, he was intrigued by Kuroo.

The God of Mischief – he had come to understand that was what he was – was always there whenever he needed him, be it for a quiet stroll through the streets, a philosophical discussion, and sometimes even to spar with him. Kuroo was nowhere as strong as Bokuto, but he was not someone to frown upon. Lithe, smooth and fast, he probably was one of the most dangerous persons Daichi had ever fought. His illusions, mostly, were always playing with his mortal senses and it was driving him mad. He didn’t understand that interest from the god millenaries older, but it didn’t bother him. In fact, it would have been quite charming if Daichi hadn’t felt like he was only living thanks to their Asgardian indulgence.

Today was one of those days of strolling through the streets of Asgard in commoner clothes, the air warm with aromas of food and nature – life. Kuroo was wearing a disguise, his hair too easily recognizable.

“So what you’re saying is, the Tesseract is a source of infinite power but not a portal in itself, while the Bifröst is a portal with tremendous power, right?” Daichi summarized Kuroo’s complicated scientific and magic explanation of travel between the world.  
“That would be it, yes”, Kuroo replied, though his smile was actually making pretty clear what he thought of Daichi’s simplification. He waited for a moment, and then stopped. “I’m telling you we have a huge portal we could use to send you back on Earth, and you say nothing? Don’t you want to go back?”

Daichi stopped as well, peering into his eyes.

“Do you want me to go?” he asked softly.

Kuroo averted his eyes.

“No.”

The silence stretched, and then Daichi answered:

“There’s… nothing waiting for me back home. Only a world at war. My friends are most probably already dead. Maybe I would have gone back if I hadn’t been in Asgard for so long. But now…” He sighed, presenting his face to the sun. “How could I go back after tasting peace, and eating until I’m sated? I’m not the hero they want me to be, and if the war really ended… Then there is no need for Captain America anymore.”

Kuroo was staring at him, but he seemed more relaxed than before.

“And we greatly appreciate you being here”, Kuroo confessed, blushing slightly.

They resumed their lazy strolling, stopping to by something to drink in a small, heavy-scented shop, and not for the first time Daichi found himself noticing the way light played with Kuroo’s irises – the golden melting into something deeper, or shining like the sun. The little hair tickling his neck. The nimble fingers plucking the piece of cake he was holding instead of eating it. There was something with Kuroo that made his chest tighten and his stomach do weird things, and he wasn’t sure what it meant. But he admired his profile, and the angle of his jaw, the curve of his smile and the slight crinkling of his eyes when he laughed or pursed his nose.

“Daichi”, he gasped softly, making him jolt out of his reverie.

His golden eyes were staring at him, full of wonder and unanswered questions – and then Daichi looked down and his heart stopped when he realized he had been drafting a portrait of the young god on a paper napkin. His cheeks heated up and he opened his mouth to answer, when a loud sound echoed through the city – probably through the whole realm – akin to an immense bell resounding everywhere. Kuroo stood up so fast he knocked over his chair, his eyes wide, surprised and fearful.

“The palace”, he said, “the palace is under attack!”

Daichi could feel the urgency in his tone – the panic rising in his throat at the implication of his words.

“Let’s go”, he simply said, dropping a handful of coins on the table for their drinks.

It didn’t take them long to get back to the palace’s immense doors, but the very words Kuroo had whispered had frozen Daichi to the core:

“We haven’t been attacked for nine hundred years”, he had said, voice tight with worry. “Asgard is a stronghold, it can’t be…”

But it could be, as Asgardian soldiers were running around them, shouting things to one another that didn’t make any sense. Finally, Bokuto appeared, livid and drenched with sweat, staring at his own brother.

“The Tesseract… The Tesseract disappeared, and Father is injured.”

Kuroo gasped, trembling, and made a move to go find his father, only to be held back by Bokuto.

“We cannot see him yet”, Bokuto said, “and we need to find out what happened.”  
“But…”

Kuroo didn’t get to finish: a medic was coming over quickly.

“The All-Father’s days aren’t in danger”, they told them with a slight bow of their head. “However he is unconscious and will remain so until complete recovery.”

Kuroo turned to look at his brother, who still looked worried.

“I’ll go after the Tesseract”, he finally said. “You reinforce our protections and rule in Father’s stead with Mother’s help.”

Bokuto clenched his jaw and gripped his hammer even more tightly, but nodded.

“Take an escort”, he said before turning to oversee the guards who were still running wild. “And be careful.”  
“I will”, Kuroo breathed, his eyes burning with an evident passion.  
“I’m coming with you”, Daichi said, his voice accepting no refuse.  
“It’ll be dangerous”, Kuroo warned, looking at him.

Daichi smirked.

“I love dangerous. Let me get my gear.”  
“I need to change clothes too”, Kuroo nodded, and both of them hurried to their rooms.

The feeling of the Star-Spangled banner stretching on his torso and limbs made Daichi shiver. He had almost forgotten that part of him those days. But now he was Captain America again, and he had a mission. His heart was beating like crazy at the thought. He joined Kuroo at the intersection of two corridors, a small smile stretching his lips at the sight of the young god. Kuroo was wearing a golden armour, his clothes a deep, vibrant red underneath. His unruly hair was flattened under a helmet and he certainly looked imposing, a short sword sheathed to his side. Daichi fell in pace with him, following him down the long, cold flight of stairs to the vaulted treasure room.

Many dangerous or precious artefacts were kept there and it had been inviolable – until now. The Casket of Ancient Winters had been thrown to the floor, shedding its ice everywhere. Before Kuroo could stop him, Daichi had grabbed the Casket and put it back into place, hissing at the pain in his hands where his skin had touched the handles.

“Don’t touch anything here”, Kuroo warned him. “Many of those things are dangerous to mortals like you.”  
“Warn a man _before_ he freezes off his hands”, Daichi said with a pout, inspecting his hands for damage.

Luckily, he hadn’t held the Casket for too long and the ice on his hands was already melting. When he looked up, Kuroo had moved farther into the room and was staring at the shrinks of ice around the now empty Tesseract place. Daichi watched with rapt attention as the god made intricate movements with his hands, a red glow enveloping him as making cloud forms appear. It didn’t make any sense to the soldier, but Kuroo frowned deeply, biting his lips.

“My magic is telling me mortals did this”, he whispered. “This doesn’t make any sense, how would have any mortal gotten here? Aside from you, that is.”  
“Maybe just like me”, Daichi replied, walking up to him and staring at the red foam retreating under his skin. “Is it that hard to believe that mortals… _enhanced_ mortals could have done that? As far as I know, I’m not the only one out there…”

Kuroo looked at him, lost in his thoughts, and breathed. He remained silent several minutes, and Daichi was beginning to seriously worry about him when he shook himself and stared at him.

“The Tesseract is leaving a trail where it goes”, he finally said. “If we follow it, we might be able to retrieve it quickly. We must hurry, it’s fading quickly.”  
“Where to?”  
“Muspellheim”, Kuroo answered in a breath. “Ushijima’s Kingdom. Let’s just hope he doesn’t find us and decide we make a nice barbecue.”  
“Uh”, said Daichi, following Kuroo. “And how do we go there? The Rainbow Bridge?” He snickered. “This feels like I’m talking about Oz.”  
“We’re taking the Bifröst”, Kuroo confirmed with a nod.

*

Muspellheim turned out to be exactly what Daichi imagined Hell would look like – hot, smoky, barren and loud. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it _at all_. Hearing Kuroo curse as soon as they stepped on the burning planet and stomp his feet in rage really dampened what remained of his mood.

“It’s not here”, Kuroo spat, “it never even came here, we’ve been played!”  
“Well then I’d suggest we just. Go back to Asgard before the flaming dudes decide to kick our asses. You know.”

Kuroo looked up, shivering when he realized Ushijima’s soldiers had spotted them and where coming to them. In arms. And they didn’t look friendly. They didn’t look friendly _at all _.__

__“Alright”, he gulped. “The Bifröst it is, then.”_ _

__*_ _

__Once they were back on Asgard, Kuroo picked up the trail again, but this time, he stared at Daichi for way too long before he moved a single finger._ _

__“Well? What’s our next stop?” Daichi pressed him, curious and eager to move.  
“Midgard”, Kuroo finally breathed. “It’s Midgard.”_ _

__Daichi’s expression carefully slid to a composed, neutral one before he dared to reply. A simple “oh”._ _

__“Daichi. Are you sure you want to do this?”_ _

__Daichi gulped, forcing himself not to avert his eyes. The truth was, he was scared to go back to Earth. He was scared Kuroo would leave him here because that was where he was meant to belong – he was scared of these feelings he felt blooming in his chest when he thought about the young god. He was scared of many things, and “Midgard” seemed to gather all those fears and concentrate them._ _

__“I will do it”, he said, his voice soft but firm. “I told you, didn’t I? I’m coming with you to take back the Tesseract. After all, you didn’t take an escort so someone has to protect you.”_ _

__He knew, of course, that Kuroo was plenty able to defend himself, especially against mere mortals, but he liked being close to him. Being trusted. As a soldier. As a man. As a friend. And maybe – but he didn’t want to linger on the thought – as something more. Something he didn’t dare to think about._ _

__Kuroo opened his mouth to say something, closed it, then opened it again. He was obviously torn up by what he wanted to say._ _

__“Daichi… You need to know this… The Tesseract made you travel through Yggdrasil, but it wasn’t… instantaneous. And time goes by differently on Asgard than on Midgard or any other realm.”_ _

__Daichi stared at him, trying to make sense of his words, until he finally managed to squeeze out some of his own:_ _

__“What are you trying to say?”  
“I’m trying to say that seventy years have gone by on Earth, Daichi. You’ve been missing for seventy years. The world you left is not the one we’re going back to.”_ _

__For a moment, Daichi stood there, frozen, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. Kuroo stared at him in confusion, and Captain America smiled softly._ _

__“It’s better like this. There’s nothing left of what I’ve known, no one to remember me. No one to be worried or surprised by my sudden reappearance. Nothing to go back to.”_ _

__Kuroo looked at him with intent and Daichi felt a shiver down his spine – Kuroo was looking at him like he was going to jump at him and kiss him breathless and Daichi was surprised and worried by how much this did _not_ bother him. How much he actually wanted it. He hastily pushed the thought away and squared up._ _

__“Let’s get going. We have a Tesseract to find.”_ _

__*_ _

__Kuroo tried not to laugh. Really, he tried very hard, but it was too much. Who would have thought the legendary Captain America, Daichi Sawamura himself, was so shitty had riding a horse? He’d never seen such a bad rider before, and that was saying a lot._ _

__“Stop laughing at me!” Daichi protested, scrambling to keep himself seated on his saddle as his horse galloped on the bridge to the Bifröst.  
“I hope horses are the only thing you’re bad at riding”, Kuroo finally said between two gasps for breath, unable to keep his own dignified stance since he laughed so much._ _

__Daichi’s face turned completely red in a matter of seconds and Kuroo laughed even harder, almost falling off from his own horse. That would probably be the topping cherry, so he kept his thighs tight around the beast in a desperate attempt to show how it was done._ _

__So-so, they made it to the Bifröst, leaving the horses there. After all, Midgard had things like cars and trams and bikes, so they didn’t need the horses and Daichi was more than glad about that. He gulped at the sight of the immense, golden globe supposed to send them through space to his birth-planet. No matter how he tried to look brave, he was still nervous at the idea of going back after so many months away._ _

__“Are you scared?” Kuroo whispered next to him.  
“A bit”, he admitted with a wavering smile._ _

__Without another word, Kuroo linked their fingers. Daichi tensed immediately, but then slowly relaxed as he took in the wild beating of Kuroo’s heart against his skin, his sweaty, cold palm against his own, and the nervous trembling of his fingers. Yeah, Kuroo was just as scared. He breathed slowly to calm down, before he drowned in colours and lights._ _

__Traveling thanks to the Bifröst was completely different from traveling thanks to the Tesseract, he knew this already. That didn’t mean he liked it a lot more. In fact, he really didn’t like it. But Kuroo’s hand clasped in his was comforting – a thought that confused him. They landed in the middle of nowhere, scaring a few birds and local wildlife, which gave them some time to gather their thoughts. Daichi still held Kuroo’s hand, his shield tight on his other hand._ _

__They started to walk, but didn’t go very far: a cohort of enormous, shiny cars screeched by them with a cloud of dirt, men in black coming out from them. Daichi straightened and puffed up, not knowing what they wanted, but Kuroo gently squeezed his fingers and looked at him in a way that meant “let me handle it”. Daichi wasn’t totally sure trusting the God of Mischief with this was such a good idea, but he let him do his thing anyway._ _

__It turned out, with the help of a few illusions, that these men were from the “S.H.I.E.L.D”, whatever the hell that was, and that they tracked abnormalities. They called the Bifröst an Einstein-Rosen bridge with a peculiar signature, and knew exactly where the Tesseract had been for the past thirty years: in one of their most secret facilities. It was still there, they assured them – and maybe Daichi was a bit worried by the way Kuroo so easily manipulated mortal minds, but he didn’t voice his thoughts._ _

__Minutes later, they were in a car bringing them to a small, lost-in-the-desert S.H.I.E.L.D facility where they climbed into a plane and were taken to New York. Collaborating with them was the only way of ever recovering the Tesseract peacefully. Neither Kuroo nor Daichi wanted to bring war to Earth._ _

___“You know you’re scary, right?” Daichi told Kuroo, who quickly glanced from the paper where he was scribbling complicated math formulas._  
“You only realize it now?” he mumbled without stopping his hand.  
“You played with them. Completely.”  
“And yet I’m not good enough that they’d give me the Tesseract without complicating things”, Kuroo replied. He clicked his tongue, putting his pencil down. “I knew there was something weird. They said the Tesseract appeared out of nowhere, in the middle of New York, in 1986. That corresponds exactly with the time when the trail went cold on Muspellheim, it can’t be a coincidence. Midgardians don’t have the technology to travel to other worlds. They can’t possibly have stolen it, which means whoever stole it either lost it on the way, which seems rather weird, or…”  
“Or they stored it on Earth”, Daichi breathed. “But why? Why would they do this?”  
“I don’t know”, Kuroo whispered, brow furrowing. “And I really hate not knowing. Someone is completely playing with us.”  
“At least now we know where it is”, Daichi said, “we can protect it.” 

__*_ _

__The S.H.I.E.L.D had done all they could to protect the Tesseract, and they allowed Kuroo to put up illusions and barriers, mostly hiding its track. That could only be a good thing. They could have taken it back to Asgard, but without knowing who stole it in the first place or how they did it, Kuroo thought it was better to keep it there, on Earth. They should have gone back to Asgard – instead, and Kuroo didn’t really know how, they were in New York city._ _

__Kuroo was sitting at a table with a milkshake in hand, in the busy streets of New York, while Daichi munched on cookies with a thoughtful expression, and Kuroo had absolutely no idea what they were doing here. What he could say, though, was that the clothing fashion Daichi had chosen suited him. The S.H.I.E.L.D had provided him with a set of clothes before they left, not really willing to have Captain America walking about in his uniform. Sooner or later, someone would realize who he was. It was a lot less likely to happen if Daichi wore common clothes._ _

__There was nothing common about Daichi though, Kuroo thought as he watched him wiping off the entire plate of cookies one by one. His large, dark leather jacket enhanced his broad shoulders, and there was no way Kuroo was talking about his jeans. Those dark grey things were so tight on his thighs he thought they might burst if Daichi so much as shifted in his chair. He was not mentioning his huge motor-biking boots either. Nope. Or the pair of sunglasses currently on the table. Really, Kuroo wasn’t talking about Daichi’s new sense of style._ _

__“We should get you some clothes too”, Daichi said. “You stand out too much like this, you know.”_ _

__Kuroo didn’t want to change his clothes, but then he made the mistake of looking at Daichi and he knew he had two things to do. Take revenge for how gorgeous the mortal was, and take action to act on those growing feelings he’d felt bud in his chest since the day they met._ _

__“Wait here”, he said, standing up and immediately walking away, leaving Daichi no choice._ _

__He came back minutes later and Daichi’s jaw dropped. He wasn’t the only one, but the others didn’t matter to Kuroo. Only Daichi’s eyes on him, unblinking, and then blinking rapidly like he couldn’t realize what he was seeing._ _

__“Well”, Kuroo said, spinning on his heels to show off, “how do I look?”_ _

__Daichi closed his mouth, cheeks burning red, and coughed._ _

__“Completely indecent”, he replied, faking his looking away – he was definitely not tearing his eyes off from Kuroo._ _

__That only made Kuroo grin. Daichi didn’t know how, but he somehow had found skimpy black shorts that would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, a black t-shirt so flimsy it was almost see-through, and a long, red, woollen jacket he wore open and that came down to his knees, the sleeves rolled up on his forearms. He’d also underlined his eyes with black, intensifying his golden gaze. Mostly though, the long legs and expense of pale skin Daichi saw were frying his brain. He’d already seen many weird things in this younger Midgard, but this was… this was more than he could handle. His gaze dropped to Kuroo’s feet and he choked at the sight of the black, heeled ankle-boots._ _

___“Don’t you think you’re tall enough already?” Daichi said, realizing the God was towering over him._  
“Am I though?” Kuroo said, leaning forward with his hands propped on Daichi’s armrests, his face definitely way too close.  
“People are staring, Kuroo”, Daichi said, turning redder with each passing second.  
“Let them”, Kuroo breathed. “Look only at me.” 

__And Daichi did, completely entranced. He could have pulled away if he’d wanted to, but the truth was – he didn’t want to. He craved it. So when Kuroo’s lips closed the distance to his own, he met him in a heated kiss. Hungry and desperate. And maybe a bit clumsy too, but it was not like Kuroo cared._ _

___“Let’s stay here for a while”, Kuroo breathed. “Away from the Asgardian public eye. Just you and me.”  
“But the mission-” Daichi started.  
“We’re fulfilling it”, Kuroo replied, kissing him again, emboldened by Daichi’s first reaction. “Stay by my side, Daichi. As a lover.”_

__And maybe Daichi was scared, but those words found an echo in his own heart and he knew it was the answer he’d been searching for._ _

__“Yes.”_ _

__*_ _

__Daichi stumbled through the door, laughing, holding Kuroo tightly._ _

__“Where are we?” he asked, and the alcohol they’d drunk wasn’t affecting him, and Kuroo was only a bit buzzed by it, but the exhilaration of their evening was enough to get them drunk on it.  
“Our house for now”, Kuroo replied._ _

__They’d spent a lovely day together. Daichi had taken a bike to drive them through the city, Kuroo pressed against his back. They’d gone to the cinema, and then to dinner, and it seemed everything was falling into place perfectly. Perhaps too perfectly, but they didn’t want to dwell on it yet. After dinner they’d drove again through the city, and walked a bit, and Kuroo had broken the heel of his boot on badly paved sidewalks. As there was no way Daichi was letting him walk barefoot in such a place, the young man had lifted him up bridal style and carried him through the streets, following his instructions._ _

__He put Kuroo down on his feet as the lights automatically switched on, revealing a nice loft in the outskirts of NYC. It was furnished with great taste, though it didn’t exactly suit either of them, but it was more than enough for a night. Daichi hung his jacket on the nearby coat hanger as Kuroo padded through the open space to the kitchen, putting water to boil. He moved to the living-room and Daichi followed him after removing his own shoes – and his socks, when he realized he was totally sliding over the smooth wood flooring. He settled in the couch and Kuroo sprawled on him._ _

__“Look up”, the young God said, “isn’t this amazing?”_ _

__Above them, there was no roof. Only a large glass ceiling that let them see a few stars, and the lights of the night over the black sky._ _

__“Beautiful”, Daichi breathed. “Beautiful”, he repeated a few minutes later, almost laying on the couch with Kuroo on top of him, kissing breathlessly._ _

__The water boiled, forgotten, as Kuroo’s fingers slid on his stomach. His kisses went from slow and curious to tender and welcoming, and then rough and hungry, leaving Daichi gasping and clutching his t-shirt tightly. He did not dare to touch the warm skin so close to his own – didn’t dare to face the force of his own desire. His fingers traced Kuroo’s lips, who smiled softly and pulled away._ _

__“Let’s not go any farther tonight”, he said in a low voice. “After all, we have all the time in the world.”_ _

__He came back with two mugs of tea, his red jacket wrapped more snuggly around him. There was a moment of silent tension, but then Kuroo slid into Daichi’s space and snuggled comfortably against him, the soldier wrapping his arms around him._ _

___“Are you scared?” Kuroo breathed after a moment, his head resting on Daichi’s chest.  
“Yes”, Daichi replied in the same tone. “I’m… I’m lost, Kuroo. When I was Captain America, fighting the Nazi, I had a purpose. I knew where I was going and what I could do. Where I could go.” His hand skimmed over Kuroo’s flesh. “This… This is all new for me. This is not something I thought about. You are a God, and I a mere mortal. How could it…”  
“A mere mortal? Daichi, the serum… The serum changed many things. You no longer are a mere mortal. And even if you’d been, you stayed in Asgard. Eating and drinking with the Aesir.” He stroked his cheek gently, his lips wobbling despite his attempts to hide his worry. “You are one of us, if not by blood, then by name.”_

__Daichi’s eyes gleamed in the dark, and he smiled softly. He hugged Kuroo tighter._ _

__“I’m not going anywhere”, he whispered. “Don’t be afraid.”_ _

__*_ _

__Daichi had thought things would settle down quickly, and they’d go back to Asgard. But a week had passed, with both of them adapting to Midgardian life, hanging out in museums and libraries to know has many things as they could about the past decades, nothing worth mentioning happening despite their budding relationship. But fate had a strange sense of humour, and they were napping peacefully after they’d sparred in a dedicated place of the loft when Kuroo hastily sat up, his eyes wide._ _

__“The Tesseract”, he breathed, “it was stolen!”_ _

__He exchanged a look with Daichi and they both put on combat gear before taking the bike to go where the Tesseract had been kept. They found the S.H.I.E.L.D completely overwhelmed by alarms blaring off, lights flickering everywhere and automatic weapons firing._ _

__“Magic”, Kuroo gritted through his teeth. “Jotun magic.”_ _

__It took him a moment to defeat the strong magic cast on the place, and left him breathless, panting and covered in sweat. Daichi helped him up on his unsteady legs and sat him down on a chair, pushing his bangs out of his face._ _

___“So the Jotun stole the Tesseract, then?”_  
“They are the only ones skilled enough and smart enough to pull something like that”, Kuroo replied, still gasping for breath. “I just… I understand they’d want revenge, but why steal the Tesseract when the Casket of Ancient Winters was at their hand? It’s not like anyone else would be able to handle it, they’re the only ones fortified by the cold. It doesn’t make any sense…”  
“We still have to get it back”, Daichi said. “I know for a fact the Tesseract is dangerous and destructive. We can’t let anyone have it and use it.”  
“And what do you suggest? Knocking at their door and ask for it?” Kuroo chuckled, pulling on his own hair.  
“Yes”, Daichi replied. “That’s exactly what we’re gonna do.” 

__*_ _

__“When you said it was cold, I didn’t think you meant _that_ cold”, Daichi grunted from behind his many layers of clothes.  
“I did warn you though”, Kuroo said, just as wrapped up in clothes. “Okay, here it goes.”_ _

__He gathered his strength and knocked loudly on the immense doors of the palace. Jotunheim was a cold, dead place. They hadn’t seen a Jotun since they arrived, and frankly they just wanted to get back home – to a warm beverage and a blazing fire. The doors opened without a sound and they stepped forward into the hall, crossing it to the throne where the Grand King was looming over them._ _

___“So you finally came”, he said, leaning back into his throne of ice. “I thought maybe I was wrong and you weren’t smart enough.”  
“Oikawa, give back the Tesseract”, Kuroo said. “It’s not yours.”  
“It’s not yours either. And the Casket of Ancient Winters isn’t yours either.”  
“Jotun”, Daichi interrupted, “the Tesseract is dangerous. Give it back for safe-keeping.”  
“Oh look, a talking animal”, the King smirked, and a ray of light fell on his face. He was handsome in the way statues were. His skin a dark blue, his eyes a glowing red. And the light in his eyes told them he wasn’t someone with whom you played. “Listen well, little mortal. When the war opposed my people to the Aesir, they stole many things from us. The Casket, of course, and that made us _weak_. But I can forgive that as a political move. I would have done the same.” He stood up, revealing just how _tall_ he was, a sneer on his face. “But taking my _child_ , my only son and heir to my throne? _That__ , I can’t forgive.” 

__Daichi glanced at Kuroo to see his reaction, but the young God seemed to be completely clueless about what Oikawa was talking about._ _

__“I have never heard of that”, he finally said._ _

__Oikawa laughed._ _

__“Of course you haven’t, poor kid. For centuries I thought my son had been killed. And then – oh, very recently, in fact - I learnt he was alive.” He made a move and a smaller but broader Jotun appeared, holding the Tesseract. “You don’t even know what the _Tesseract_ truly is”, he growled. “The _Tesseract_ , tch. A fancy name for _life-power and magic_.” Another move, and the Jotun had jumped on them before they could say a word, sending them to their knees. “Don’t move, I don’t want to hurt you.”_ _

__The Jotun holding the Tesseract with fear and respect stepped forward, closing the distance between him and the two visitors._ _

__“Our Prince was called Tetsurou”, he said, “and he was just a baby, but we already knew he was the strongest of our kind in generations. It was a great loss to our people in such troubled times.”_ _

__Without a warning, he pushed the cube into Kuroo’s chest, whose mouth opened for a scream that never came out. Daichi, on the other hand, was yelling at the top of his voice, struggling to get out of his captors’ grip. They were strong, though, and he couldn’t shake them off. Kuroo was fuming and there was a thick fog all around him._ _

___“It’s alright, Daichi”, he finally said. “It’s alright.”  
“Kuroo! How are you?”  
“I’m… fine. I guess.”_

__The fog disappeared and there Kuroo was. Daichi gasped._ _

__His skin had turned a deep blue, and his eyes a deep red, like a fine wine. There were markings on his skin too – typical of Jotuns. He took a shaking breath, looking at his own hands. He could feel the strong magic pulsing in his veins. Like he was whole, finally. He stood up slowly._ _

___“What do you want from me?” he asked Oikawa.  
“Stand with me against the traitors”, the Grand King replied. “Let us march on Asgard and make them _pay_.”  
“So you only want my power, then”, Kuroo snapped. “I’m not interested.”_

__His hand reached out for Daichi, the guards flinching and stepping away as if burnt. He grabbed his lover, pressing his ice-cold lips to his. Daichi saw the hurt in his eyes, that were already turning back to gold. He stroked a warm patch of skin with a healthy colour, nothing like the blue slowly fading._ _

__“I’d never betray you”, he murmured.  
“I know”, Kuroo replied, looping an arm around him._ _

__*_ _

__“I’m not sure it’s a good idea, Daichi”, Kuroo grumbled from the kitchen.  
“Kuroo”, Daichi said, coming to him and hugging him from behind. “It’s my people. I have to do something.”_ _

__Kuroo sighed._ _

___“There’s no talking you out of this, uh?”_  
“Nope.”  
“Alright then, go play Captain America and save brave citizens of Earth with Asahi, I don’t care. I’ll just stay here and keep the food cold.”  
“You want to come”, Daichi stated, smirking as he kissed his neck and nape.  
“Why would I want to? They’re not even my people.”  
“You adopted Earth. You became one of us when we decided to live here.” He paused. “Also, there’s someone you’ll want to see.” 

__*_ _

__Kuroo stopped dead in his tracks._ _

__“Bokuto”, he breathed. “I can’t believe you’re here.”_ _

__Bokuto laughed, swinging his hammer playfully._ _

__“Of course I’m here, brother. I protect the Nine Realms, remember?”  
“I remember”, Kuroo replied, crushing him into a hug._ _

__His eyes fell on Daichi, in complete Captain America gear. “Thank you”, he mouthed._ _

__For bringing me back to my brother. For talking me into this. For being there, all the time._ _

__

__For loving me._ _


End file.
